This invention relates generally to apparatus for handling small production parts during processing steps particularly such as soldering and plating steps and the like. More specifically, this invention relates to an improved fixture for supporting a plurality of small components such as electrical parts during solder dip coating of conductive terminals thereon.
Modern electrical and electronic components such as resistors, transistors, and other solid state components are manufactured typically in the form of a relatively small component body with one or more outwardly projecting terminals. For many of these components, it is desirable to apply a metallic solder coating to the terminals for facilitating subsequent assembly into the appropriate circuit or system. However, application of a solder coating to the relatively small terminals of electrical components which are also relatively small in size can be a time consuming and tedious process requiring a high degree of manual labor.
For example, solder coating of the conductive terminals can be performed by manually holding each component while the terminal or terminals thereof are dipped into a heated bath of appropriate solder material, with the solder dip step typically being preceded by rinsing the terminals in a suitable solvent. This manual approach, however, is extremely labor intensive and thus undesirably increases the production cost of the manufactured components. Alternate approaches have envisioned the use of component jigs or fixtures designed to hold a group of components during a solder dip step. However, to date, these fixtures have been designed for use with components of a particular size or shape, whereby it has been necessary for several different fixtures to be obtained and used when components of different sizes and shapes are processed. Moreover, while such fixtures advantageously support several components during a single solder dip step, loading of the components into the fixture can be a relatively tedious task requiring considerable manual skill.
There exists, therefore, a need for an improved fixture of the type designed to support a plurality of small parts such as electrical components or the like, wherein the fixture is adapted for rapid and easy loading and for subsequent easy handling during, for example, a solder dip process step or the like. The present invention fulfills these needs and provides further related advantages.